The Three Purities

The three supreme deities of orthodox religious Taoism known as The Three Purities, included the Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning. The highest of the three, this deity was a patriarchical teacher, ruler of the heaven of Jade Purity, and patriarch of the highest scriptural tradition, the Cavern of Perfection.

The second highest deity, The Celestial Worthy of the Numinous Treasure, ruled the heaven of Highest Purity and was the patriarch of the second scriptural tradition, the Cavern of Mystery. Influenced by Buddhism, this tradition was key to the development of Taoist rituals and art.

The Celestial Worthy of the Way and Its Power, better known as Lao-tzu (ca. 6th century, B.C.) resided in the heaven of Great Purity and was the patriarch of the third scriptural tradition, the Cavern of Spirit. Known as the Supreme Elder Lord, Lao-tzu revealed new teachings aimed to restore harmony between the heavens and humanity as well as influence Chinese civilization through the great philosophic classic attributed to him, the Tao-te-Ching (4th century, B.C.) It is he who spread the teachings of the Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning to the rest of the world and his deification began as early as the second century A.D.

The paintings in this set represent The Three Purities as they were standardized by The Complete Perfection sect of Taoism which rose to prominence during the Mongol rule of the Yuan dynasty (1280-1368).